M.I.Y.O. Monday: Where Do You Go For A Guaranteed Great Meal?

Note: M.I.Y.O. Monday stands for Make It Your Own Monday, a question thrown out to DCF readers every Monday to jumpstart the week with lively interaction. I also welcome questions and suggestions for future MIYO Mondays. Email me.

It’s practically part of my job description to be audacious when it comes to food: boring and routine, stick-to-the-same-six-restaurants eater? Not I! But sometimes, whether it be the effect of a bad day, a bad mood, or a bad whatever, I seek solace in sustenance and it damn well better hit the spot.

For times like this, I head to Old Swiss Inn. I eat the same things here that I’ve been eating since a college friend introduced me to the place. There’s the cheese fondue of course, and the raclette dish, nuttily piquant, that comes with baby potatoes and gherkins. Oddly enough, the Spaghetti Bolognese here is one of the best in Manila – hearty with lots of ground beef and dare I say, a splash of red wine? It also goes without saying that the chocolate fondue is a required item of consumption when dining here. Really, how can you not?

But what I really come to Old Swiss Inn for is the Baked Pork Knuckle. It’s a dish that speaks to the hardcore pleasure-seeker in me for all things porcine, coming in only second to my love for steak. Pork knuckle doesn’t make a pretty plate. With two bones protruding at almost oblique angles, it’s an oddball of fat and meat and tendon. Anatomically identifiable and unrepentantly fatty, it’s both crisp and chewy, a process owing to it having been brined, boiled, then baked. My dad, who bequeathed his love for pork knuckle to me, likes to cut through the fat and meat with his utensils and when those prove useless, he picks up the knuckle and alternately gnaws and nibbles on sections of meat and crackling. Spoonfuls of sauerkraut cut the grease and keep cloy at bay.

On the days when I feel a need to retreat from the world, Old Swiss Inn is where I go. When he’s free, my dad comes along too and I treat him to a dish of Baked Pork Knuckle; we have one each and for dessert, we share a pot of the Toblerone Fondue which he always lets me have the lion’s share of.

Tell me, where do you go for a guaranteed great meal and what do you eat there?

yeah, I did =) But I usually pick my usual favorites there, tempura…Sanma… Yakitori… Sashimi… and whatever Sushi the Chef wants to feed me… Damn, this is making me hungry! I alway feel happy after eating there, though I can not say the same for my wallet =)

Hi Lori, you will enjoy Frites here in HK. their tagline says, Belgian on tap. The decor- a high ceilinged beer hall with sturdy tables and benches meant for sharing. There’s beer, lots of it. There’s frites. And there’s the pork knuckle. Huge! and definitely for meat lovers.:)

I second the motion on Milky Way. It’s great that they have frozen stuff you can just reheat at home (for those days you refuse to step out of the front door). So far Ukkokei and Thai Dara have been consistent. And Bun on the Run for my favorite fast-food fix, the choriburger 🙂

Mine would be either Lusso or Cibo. I love how Gaita has managed to keep food quality and service in her restaurants very consistent. In Lusso, I always go for the Mac and cheese or the Foie Gras Burger and in Cibo, its the Quattro Formaggi pizza or any of the pastas. Yummy!

Chie-
I’ve not been to Lusso. I know, I know, don’t gasp. :p But I’m at Cibo at least once a month. I like their pumpkin soup and the Pasta Alfonso. Lately though, their noodles have been very wet, with the water pooling at the bottom of the pasta bowl. Tsk, tsk.
–lori

The German Club for German/Swiss food (and yummy Steak Tartare);
Mangetsu and Tsumura/Kuretake for Japanese;
Lugang and Tao Yuan for non-Cantonese Chinese food;
Emong’s (a 1-dish hole-in-the-wall in the entresuelo of an old house in Lipa for the best bulalo ever — it’s been there since 1951)
My mother’s house for good old-fashioned Pinoy food (mom doesn’t cook but the cooking of our old family cook, Manang Lucy, is to die for)

Mangetsu is at Amorsolo Creekside next to Sango Burger and Pharaoh Night Club. You have to try their gyudon, their jumbo (and I mean JUMBO) prawn tempura, and their tori karaage with 3 salts. They will be closing by Sept. 16 but will be re-opening somewhere along Jupiter sometime in October.

Emong’s is along Solis Street, Barangay 9, in the old part of Lipa (by the back of the Cathedral). But you have to call in advance because they usually have no bulalo left by 11:30am! Call Sheila (Mang Emong’s granddaughter who has continued the business) at 09167025689.

The German Club is at the Penthouse of EuroVilla-2 along Rufino near the corner of Legazpi Street in Legazpi Village. While it is “Members Only”, they do make exceptions sometimes. Send me a PM if you want to eat there 🙂

Sanju-
It sounds promising but I’m not sure if I’ve got the guts to give veal kidney another go. Didn’t like it my first time around in another very fine restaurant. Perhaps we’ll have to eat at Champetre together. 🙂

If I loved it just a little bit more, I would have Chateau on speed dial. Sometimes, there’s really just something comforting about predictable reliability. I always have an awesome meal: start off with the Raclette, move on to the Cranberry Duck, and finish off with a heavenly slice of Coffee Pie!

And finally, Casa Armas Malate for their Paella Negra. You’ll look funny after but it’s well worth it. The paella’s perfectly soft but not wet with the delectable crunchy burnt bottom that I enjoy. Squeeze in some lemon juice and it’ll taste divine.

I’ve always enjoyed eating in Mamou. Their steak is divine, just like their other offerings (Roast Pork & Chicken, Fish & Chips to name a few). Plus, the staff there are always attentive and nice. So that seals the deal for me!

Cibo and Pancake House for me. In Cibo, I always order the Rigatoni All’alfonso. Sometimes when I’m feeling adventurous, I almost order another dish but then revert to the Alfonso, fearing I might regret that I let a visit pass without having it.

In Pancake House, I love love love their spaghetti. From the first time I’ve tasted it more than two decades ago, it’s a dish that I still come home to when I want something familiar and comforting.

And for a simple Japanese dining experience, Red Kimono is my current go-to. Then again, I haven’t been to Little Tokyo.

Lori, am a fan of fried pork knuckle (aka crispy pata). How does the baked pork knuckle fare in comparison? Is the skin still very crispy but not as oily? 🙂 Please share your thoughts so I can try it, if it’s worth my calories. Old Swiss Inn is just around the corner from me. Thanks!

Tina Vitas-
This one is worth the calories, I assure you! Baking gives the pork knuckle a crispy skin that tastes just as fatty as its fried counterpart but somehow, it’s not as guilt-inducing, and somehow, it tastes “cleaner” too. The meat inside is super juicy because of the brining it undergoes before cooking and of course, I love digging around all the small knuckle bones looking for any vestiges of meat that I might have missed. Go already!

My go-to place would be Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante. My favorites include the Chicken Ceasar Salad, Seafood Asparagus pasta, and the Pizza Puttanesca. Food tastes good all the time, and very affordable.

Borough at Podium is a recent favorite – the Cheese sandwich with tomato soup (not quite a minestrone) is always a hit, as are Mom’s Cookies and Milk (LOVE the cranberry with white chocolate variant).

Bellini’s is an easy pick for authentic Italian fare; Amici for a cheaper option – my fave there is the Spinach Ravioli and Banana Blast from their gelateria. I also love the Seafood Pesto Pasta from Caffecino by Dome.